Majrooh Sultanpuri (October 1, 1919 - May 24, 2000), was an Urdu poet, lyricist and songwriter. He ruled Indian Cinema in the 1950s and early 1960s.
Majrooh Sultanpuri was born as Asrar ul Hassan Khan in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh on October 1, 1919. Since his father was a police sub-inspector, he couldn't afford the expensive English education for his son. Majrooh instead completed the seven year course of Dars-e-Nizami in Arabic and Persian and went on to take the degree of becoming an Alim. He then joined Lucknow's Takmeel-ut-Tib College of the Unani System of Medicine. He was an established Hakim when he happened to recite one of his ghazals at a mushaira in Sultanpur. The ghazal became famous with the audience and Majrooh saw his calling. He dropped his properous medical practice and began writing poetry seriously. Soon he became a fixture at mushairas and became great friends with the renowned Urdu poet, Jigar Moradabadi.
